Hillwood Mansion - Greenhouse

It's no secret that macro photography and flowers are my life. Okay, not my life, but a great source of pleasure, for sure. Last weekend was no exception at all. I was afraid that I would take the same pictures over and over again, but I didn't. I feel as though my work keeps improving in quality and composition. That said, here are my favorites from my first batch of uploads:







A key tip that made a HUGE difference here - go on a cloudy day. NONE of my pictures had issues with harsh lighting, odd shadows, or other problems. Plus, honestly, how nice is it to go to a warm greenhouse on a cold, cloudy winter day? For me, it was awesome. For you, it means one less variable to worry about.

But, back to the pictures:

I loved the simplicity and colors of my first picture. All I did was take a picture of the top half of an orchid. I'll show you the bottom half tomorrow.

The second picture's appeal to me is in the framing. I took numerous variations of the flower itself - the first picture here is an example.

The third picture is an example of one that should not require a macro lens, which is why I included it here. I wanted those of you with point-and-shoot cameras to have some options. I love this one because it's pink. I also like the way the flowers hang, as well as the overall look.

The settings for all of these are attainable - relatively low f-stop settings, ISO of 400, and nothing special with the white balance - Automatic worked here. The next time you go out to a garden, give pictures like these, especially the third one, a try. Just make sure you have a steady hand, a macro setting (whether the lens or the point-and-shoot setting), and willingness to experiment and have fun.

Till tomorrow!